Sewing machine needles and methods of forming the same



1966 J. T. SPEETJENS ETAL 3,227,121

SEWING MACHINE NEEDLES AND METHODS OF FORMING THE SAME Filed June '7, 1963 LENGTH 2 E T E D E E D.

CUT TO LENGTH INVENTORS JOSEPH T. SPEETJENS 3 RICHARD UJ. SHEPARD Veg? AW; ATTORNEYS United States Patent 0 3,227,121 SEWING MACI-HNE NEEDLES AND METi-IUDS 0F FURMING THE SAME Joseph T. Speetjens and Richard W. Shepard, Torrington,

, Conn., assignors to The Torrington Company, Torrington, Conn, a corporation of Maine Filed .lune 7, 1963, Ser. No. 286,382 17 Claims. (Cl. 112-222) This invention relates in general to new and useful improvements in the construction of needles, particularly needles adapted for use in sewing machines and like mechanisms, and more particularly relates to a novel manner of providing needles with enlarged shanks at a minimum cost.

Needles are normally formed in pairs although they may be formed singly. In the forming of a needle, 21 piece of wire having a diameter corresponding to the intended diameter of the shanks of the needles is provided. Except for those portions of the piece of wire which become the shanks of the needles, the wire is cut down or swaged down to the blade size, then the customary thread grooves are formed in the needle blades, after which the needles are finished by the forming of the eyes therein and the simultaneous forming of points which are disposed in opposed relation. The cutting down or swaging down of the wire from the diameter of the shank to the blade diameter is a time consuming and, therefore, expensive operation.

It is, therefore, the primary object of this invention to provide a needle which includes the conventional grooved lade formed in needles of the type to which this invention relates, and wherein the shank is separately formed and suitably secured to the blade whereby the need for the cutting or swaging down of the wire in the initial blade forming operation is eliminated.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel method of economically forming needles for sewing machines and like machines, the method including the steps of providing a wire of a constant cross section and havin a continuous longitudinally extending groove therein, cutting off .a length of the Wire and work forming the length of wire to form at least one needle blade having a point at one end and an eye therethrough adjacent the point and aligned with the groove, and securing an enlarged shank on the blade and remote from the point.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel needle for use in sewing machines and like machines, the method including the steps of forming a needle blade from a continuous wire having a longitudinal groove therein, and then securing a shank to the needle blade.

A further object of this invention is to provide a needle particularly adapted for use in sewing machines and like mechanisms, the needle including a needle blade and an enlarged shank, the shank being butt bonded to the needle blade.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel needle which includes a blade and a shank formed of different materials.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a novel needle which includes a needle blade and a shank wherein the shank and blade are formed of metal and are suitably bonded or welded together.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a novel needle including a needle blade having an en larged shank telescoped over one end thereof, the shank being fixedly secured on the needle blade.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel method of forming a needle of the type having an enlarged shank, the method including the steps of providing a wire of uniform cross section and with a continuous 3,227,121 Patented Jan. 4, 196% 'ice longitudinal groove formed therein, cutting off a length of the wire, work forming the wire length to form at least one needle blade, and then molding over one end of the needle blade an enlarged shank.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a novel needle particularly adapted for use in sewing machines and like mechanisms wherein the blade of the needle is formed separately from the shank and wherein the blade may be formed from a wire of constant cross section and having a groove therein wherein the usual swaging down of the wire from the shank diameter is eliminated, and the shank being added to the blade in a separate operation with the shank being separately formed.

With the above and other objects in view that will hereinafter appear, the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description, the appended claims and the several views illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FlGURE l is a schematic view showing the initial step of forming a needle in accordance with this invention wherein a predetermined length of wire is cut from a continuous wire.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a needle blade formed in accordance with this invention.

FIGURE 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a shank being molded on the needle blade remote from the point thereof.

FlGURE 4 is a perspective view showing a completed needle.

FEGURE 5 is a rotated perspective view of the needle of FIGURE 4 and shows further the details of the construction thereof.

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse sectional view taken along the line 6-d of FIGURE 4 and shows the specific relationship or" the shank with respect to the blade.

FIGURE 7 is a schematic perspective view showing the manner in which a shank is provided for the blade by first cutting off a length of tubing and then telescoping the tubing over the blade remote from the point thereof.

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of a needle which has been formed by butt bonding a separate shank to the needle blade.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, it will be seen that there is illustrated in FIGURES 4 and 5 a typical needle which is formed in accordance with this invention, the needle being generally referred to by the numeral ll). The needle it? includes a blade 11 which is provided at one end with a point 12 and at the other end with an enlarged shank 13. The shank 1113 is telescoped over the blade ll and in the illustrated form is formed of a suitable plastic material, as is best shown in FIGURE 6. The blade 11 is provided with a thread groove 14 which extends longitudinally thereof and for the full length thereof except along the point 12. he blade 11 is also provided with an eye l5 which is aligned with and opens through the thread groove lid. The shank 13 is preferably formed with a fiat 16 to facilitate the orientation thereof. It is to be noted that the shank 13 can he provided with a portion 17 which projects into the groove 14 and forms a mechanical interlock between the shank l3 and the blade 11.

Inthe forming of the needle Iii, a wire 13 of any length is provided. This wire l3 has the groove 14 formed therein and the wire 18 is or" a constant cross section corresponding to the cross section of the blade: ll, such as that shown in FIGURE 6. The wire 18 is cut to a predetermined length by means of a suitable cutter 26 in any known manner. The length of the removed portion of the wire will vary depending upon the particular needle and whether or not two needle blades are simultaneously formed. In the forming of needles, it is customary to work the middle portion of a length of wire so as to simultaneously form two points. However, it is feasible to form a single needle blade at one time. This invention is not restricted to the forming of a single or double needle blades.

A typical needle blade 11, prior to the application of the shank thereto, is shown in FIGURE 2. When the shank is of the type illustrated in FIGURES 4 and 5, the needle blade I]. is positioned within a suitable mold, schematically illustrated in FIGURE 3 and generally referred to by the numeral 21, in the position shown in FIGURE 3. Plastic material is delivered to the mold 21 through an injection nozzle 22 so as to fill a cavity 23 of the mold 2?. around the end of the blade 11 remote from the point 12 thereof. At this time, it is pointed out that shanks may be simultaneously applied to a plurality of needle blades in a single multiple cavity mold. It is also feasible for the needle blades Ill to be in back-to-back relation so that a single spline or sprue of plastic material may interconnect a large number of needles for ease of handling.

It is to be understood that although plastics are the simplest materials for use as shanks, the shank 13 could equally as well be formed of metal. The metal could be cast or could be in the form of metal powders which are compacted or sintered or otherwise bonded together and to the needle blade 11.

Referring now to FIGURE 7 in particular, it will be seen that the plastic material of the shank 13 need not be molded around the needle blade 11, but may be provided in the form of a length of tube 24. The tube 24 is cut to a predetermined length by means of a cutter 25 and the length of the tubing 26 cut from the tube 24 is then telescoped over the needle blade 11 in the manner shown in FIGURE 7. The connection between the tubing 26 and the needle blade 11 may be a bonded one, or a sufficiently tight fit to assure the securemcnt of the newly applied length of tubing 26 to function as the shank for the needle blade 11. On the other hand, if it is so desired, the assembled needle blade 11 and the tubing length 26 may be pressed in a suitable mold and the tubing 26 reshaped under the influence of a combination of heat and pressure.

It is also feasible to utilize the broad principle of a needle blade formed from a uniform cross sectional wire wherein the wire is of the same cross section as the needle blade without telescoping a shank over the blade. With respect to this, reference is made to FIGURE 8 wherein a needle, generally referred to by the numeral 27, is shown. The needle 27 includes a blade 28, which is identical to the needle blade 11 with the exception that it is shorter than the needle blade 11. The needle blade 28 is provided With a point 29 and has a thread groove 35 extending from the point to the opposite end of the needle blade 28. The needle blade 23 is also provided with an eye 31 which corresponds to the eye 15. The needle 27 also has a shank 32. The shank 32, instead of being telescoped over the needle blade 28, as described in the foregoing examples, is butt bonded to the end of the needle blade 23 remote from the point 29. Depending upon the particular metal used in the formation of the shank 32, the shank may be welded or brazed to the needle blade 28.

In the formation of the shanks, either by a molding process or by a butt bonding process, it is proposed that various metals may be utilized. The metals would be preferably steel and aluminum, although it is feasible to utilize other metals, including copper, brass, bronze, zinc, nickel, etc.

It will be readily apparent that needles formed in accordance with the foregoing may be formed at much lower costs and needles are presently being formed in that needle constructions do not involve any cutting or swaging down of the initial wire from the diameter corresponding to the diameter of the shank and the diameter of the blade. In

lieu thereof, the smaller diameter wire may be utilized, and the shanks applied thereto on a mass production basis wherein numerous shanks may be simultaneously applied, either by molding or bonding, including welding. Further, since the wire is of a diameter corresponding to the blade diameter, the usual thread groove may be formed therein by a drawing process or any other process, thus making the forming of the thread groove less expensive than in the customary needle forming practice.

Although numerous assemblies of needles formed in accordance with this invention have been specifically illustrated and described, it will be apparent that other minor variations in needle constructions in accordance with this invention may be made within the spirit and scope thereof, as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed as new:

I. A needle particularly adapted for use in sewing machines and like mechanisms, said needle comprising an elongated blade having a point at one end, a thread groove extending longitudinally of said blade from said point, an eye in said blade adjacent said point and in alignment with said thread groove, said blade with the exception of said point and said eye being of a constant cross section, and a separate enlarged shank telescoped over said blade at the end thereof remote from said point, said shank being fixedly secured on said blade with said groove receiving a portion of said shank and forming a mechanical interlock therewith.

2. A needle particularly adapted for use in sewing machines and like mechanisms, said needle comprising an elongated blade having a point at one end, a thread groove extending longitudinally of said blade from said point, an eye in said blade adjacent said point and in alignment with said thread groove, and a separate enlarged shank telescoped over said blade at the end thereof remote from said point, said shank being fixedly secured on said blade, said groove extending through said shank and receiving a portion of said shank to form a mechanical interlock therewith.

3. The needle of claim 2 wherein said shank is formed of plastic.

4'. The needle of claim 2 wherein said shank is formed of plastic molded around said blade.

5. The needle of claim 2 wherein said shank is formed of plastic tubing.

6. The needle of claim 2 wherein said shank is formed of material molded around said blade.

7. The needle of claim 2 wherein said shank is formed of metal powder molded around said blade.

8. A method of forming a needle particularly adapted for use in sewing machines and like mechanisms, said method comprising the steps of providing a constant cross sect-ion wire having a continuous longitudinally extending groove therein, cutting off a predetermined length of the wire, work forming the length of wire to form at least one needle blade having a point at one end and an eye therethrough adjacent the point and aligned with the groove, and securing an enlarged shank on the blade end remote from the point.

9. A method of forming a needle particularly adapted for use in sewing machines and like mechanisms, said method comprising the steps of providing a constant cross section wire having a continuous longitudinally extending groove therein, cutting off a predetermined length of the wire, work forming the length of wire to form at least one needle blade having a point at one end and an eye therethrough adjacent the point and aligned with the groove, and securing an enlarged shank on the blade end remote from the point in telescoped relation.

It). A method of forming a needle particularly adapted for use in sewing machines and like mechanisms, said method comprising the steps of providing a constant cross section wire having a continuous longitudinally extending groove therein, cutting off a predetermined length of the wire, work forming the length of wire to form at least one needle blade having a point at one end and an eye therethrough adjacent the point and aligned with the groove, and molding an enlarged shank on the blade end remote from the point.

11. A method of forming a needle particularly adapted for use in sewing machines and like mechanisms, said method comprising the steps of providing a constant cross section wire having a continuous longitudinally extending groove therein, cutting off a predetermined length of the wire, work forming the length of wire to form at least one needle blade having a point at one end and an eye thereth-rough adjacent the point and aligned with the groove, and molding an enlarged plastic shank on the blade end remote from the point.

12. A method of forming a needle particularly adapted for use in sewing machines and like mechanism-s, said method comprising the steps of providing a constant cross section Wire having a continuous longitudinally extending groove therein, cutting oil a predetermined length of the wire, work forming the length of wire to form at least one needle blade having a point at one end and an eye therethrough adjacent the point and aligned with the groove, and molding an enlarged metallic shank on the blade end remote from the point.

13. A method of forming a needle particularly adapted for use in sewing machines and like mechanisms, said rnethod comprising the steps of providing a constant cross section wire having a continuous longitudinally extending groove therein, cutting otf a predetermined length of the Wire, work forming the length of wire to form at least one needle blade having a point at one end and an eye therethrough adjacent the point and aligned with the groove, and securing an enlarged shank on the blade end remote from the point by telescoping a sleeve over the blade.

14. A method of forming a needle particularly adapted for use in sewing machines and like mechanisms, said method comprising the steps of providing a constant cross section wire having a continuous longitudinally extending groove therein, cutting 01f a predetermined length of the wire, work forming the length of wire to form at least one needle blade having a point at one end and an eye therethrough adjacent the point and aligned with the groove, and butt bonding an enlarged shank on the blade end remote from the point.

15. A method of forming a needle particularly adapted for use in sewing machines and like mechanisms, said method comprising the steps of providing a length of constant cross sectional wire having a continuous longitudinally extending groove therein, work forming the length of wire to form at least one needle blade having a point at one end and an eye therethrough adjacent the point and aligned with the groove, and securing an enlarged shank on the blade end remote from the point.

16. A method of forming a needle particularly adapted for use in sewing machines and like mechanisms, said method comprising the steps of providing a length of constant cross sectional wire having a continuous longitudinally extending groove the-rein, work forming the length of wire to form at least one needle blade having a point at one end and an eye therethrough adjacent the point and aligned with the groove, and molding an enlarged shank on the blade end remote from the point.

17. In a method of forming a needle particularly adapted for use in sewing machines and like mechanism, said method including the steps of providing a constant cross section wire having a continuous longitudinally extending groove therein, cutting off a predetermined length of the wire, work forming the length of Wire to form at least one needle blade having a point at one end and an eye therethrough adjacent the point and aligned with the groove.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 777,065 12/1904 Boardman 112 224 1,042,879 10/1912 13011111 112222X 1,057,860 4/1913 Lind 1112-424X 1,323,340 12/1919 Weis 112 222 1,801,691 4/1931 Ripper 163-5 1,949,349 2/1934 Brown 112- 222 2,758,648 8/1956 Dodds 163-5 2,834,310 5/1958- Hleb 112- 226 FOREIGN PATENTS 824,818 12/1959 Great Britain.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

RUSSELL C. MADER, Examiner. 

1. A NEEDLE PARTICULARLY ADAPTED FOR USE IN SEWING MACHINES AND LIKE MECHANISMS, SAID NEEDLE COMPRISING AN ELONGATED BLADE HAVING A POINT AT ONE END, A THREAD GROOVE EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID BLADE FROM SAID POINT, AN EYE IN SAID BLADE ADJACENT SAID POINT AND IN ALIGNMENT WITH SAID THREAD GROOVE, SAID BLADE WITH THE EXCEPTION OF SAID POINT AND SAID EYE BEING OF A CONSTANT CROSS SECTION, AND A SEPARATE ENLARGE SHANK TELESCOPED OVER SAID BLADE AT THE END THEREOF REMOTE FROM SAID POINT, SAID SHANK BEING FIXEDLY SECURED ON SAID BLADE WITH SAID GROOVE RECEIVING A PORTION OF SAID SHANK AND FORMING A MECHANICAL INTERLOCK THEREWITH. 